Shattered Mirror Continuation
by Cloudblazer
Summary: This picks up a few years after the ending in Shattered Mirror. I'm not saying it's great but I hated the open-ended aspect of the original and I felt I had to make up for it.
1. Chapter 1

Sarah walked down the dark streets of Los Angeles. She had come a long way from home. She was still searching for a reason to keep existing. She meant to go back to Christopher, but she kept putting it off and before you knew it 25 years had passed. She had been feeding on animals only the whole time. Christopher and Nikolas did not feed on animals. Despite their reasons and her acceptance of a world filled with gray, she could not bring herself to live with them. They killed humans. She had been raised her whole life to protect them. She could not reconcile her belief in preserving human life and her love for Christopher. She wanted to ask him to quit for her, but she could never ask that of him, not when she knew how much pain it caused him. She wandered these lonely streets searching for something. She was searching for a place to call home and a reason for eternity.

The nights were lonely and the days burned without her. Everyday a little more of him faded away. "Snap out of it she's not coming back..." Nikolas would say. He hoped she would return. He loved her. He made the greatest mistake in all of existence letting her go. He had even stopped killing. When Nikolas and he would hunt he would think of her, so much so that he gave it up. Everywhere he turned, he saw her. In his sleep he would think of her. He was wasting away without her.

"Is this the end?", Sarah whispered to herself. She was watching the pacific ocean for the first time in her life. She had been walking many years and now she ran out of road. The wet pavement under her soft steps did not notice her passing. The rain did not feel her embrace. The waves of the grand ocean did not see her. At 6:00 pm. the beach was beginning to clear out. She walked on a range of cliffs that seemed to guard the edges of the Santa Monica coastline. She gravitated to the pier. That in itself was strange as she usually tried to avoid large groups of people. The stars flickering bright and the waves crashing against the aged wood of the old pier combined with the whispering music of the festivities around her created a strange atmosphere of calm serenity. She saw a couple leaning on the edge of the pier, staring out into the ocean. The girl was snuggling into the boys chest and he had his arms wrapped around her. They couldn't be more then 17 years old but when they were together like that it seemed they had all the knowledge of the universe in their palms. In their quiet embrace Sarah let her imagination run away from her. She turned away from the couple and walked away from the pier. She had not yet figured out how to teleport with her mind. So only one road was open to her. She decided to walk back and just visit Christopher.

Nikolas said, " Come on Christopher, the guests are waiting, and I brought someone to meet you." He knew his brother only had good intentions but he wasn't interested in anyone Nikolas would bring to meet him. "Christopher!" he shouted at him. He breathed a heavy sigh and gave in, "Fine..." he said under his breath. They walked down the halls that carried black and white illusions that he once found comforting. Now they only made him think of the day he hurt Sarah. He walked down the stairs to the party and Nikolas disappeared and reappeared in an instant. He had with him a girl that possessed long,wavy blond hair that flowed to the back. She had cream-colored skin and deep, blue eyes. She looked very much like Sarah, but she wasn't Sarah. For a flicker of a second he almost thought it was her. Nikolas had obviously brought this girl to him in an attempt to make him forget Sarah, but no imitation would ever clear from his mind the image of the goddess whose name was Sarah. He humored Nikolas by talking to her. He danced with her and all the while imagining it was Sarah. Then the hour was about to fall, it was 11:55. He had not fed in a few days and there was a perfectly good human in front of him. "No!", he thought to himself. How could he falter now? The lights dimmed. The music quieted. The vampires silently picked out their prey. The clock struck twelve and he looked into her eyes, breathed in her intoxicating fragrance and slowly bent to her neck. His fangs pierced through the girl's skin and a delicious rush of blood flooded past his fangs and soothed his throat. He saw glimpses of the girls life. She was a very depressed girl. She wanted to die. He could so easily give her what she wanted, but she looked too much like Sarah. He couldn't bring himself to end her life. He drank but he only took a taste. He cut open his hand and she drank. He blood-bonded her to him. As she slept he carved his name into her left arm. He stared off into the distance. The room was empty. He stared at the girl whose name he didn't even know and thought of better times, happier times. His mind drifted to the past, when Sarah was still here.

Sarah was wary approaching the town. Her aura reaching out all around her. She detected numerous insect in the dirt. She could feel the powerful auras' stretching out from the Single Earth building. She would rather not have come here but she needed help. She realized halfway through her journey she had no idea where Christopher was these days. She had associated with some Single Earth people in her time but she could not bring herself to actually join the group. She was too afraid of encountering non-Single Earth witches. If her mother ever learned what had become of her, lets just say she didn't want to even think about it. She was startled to feel a familiar aura approaching her. Caryn Smoke was briskly walking in her direction, a bright smile on her face. Last time Sarah had seen her she had become the head of her line, the powerful smoke witches" I had a feeling you'd be here today Sarah." " How would you know that? And why are you even here? Isn't your house 200 miles from here?" " So many questions Sarah... Come inside, I'll answer whatever I can. Its not safe out here." Caryn's eyes darted all around her as if she expected monsters to come jumping out at any moment. Her stance was not something Sarah expected her to be capable of. It seems times had changed. Sarah had been disconnected from the world for far too long. As she walked into the building Sarah nearly stumbled to the floor. The strength of the magic wards around the place must have been incredibly strong. " Sorry, it takes some getting used to but believe me, it's necessary." " I've had enough cryptic remarks Caryn, I need help, if you can help fine. If you can't, that's fine too, but I don't enjoy being toyed with." Caryn's face was blank. She showed no reaction at all. It was as if Sarah had said nothing at all. She continued walking and came to a stop at a regular looking wooden door. Sarah realized that despite her aura flaring out, she could feel no one else in the building. " It's part of the protection Sarah, there are a lot of people here." "How did you do that? Whats going on here Caryn?" " Times have changed Sarah. This world, our world, has fallen into a state of war. Ten years ago a group of powerful vampires attacked the Vida line of witches. Sarah, they...killed Dominique." Sarah's confused stare quickly became a mask of horror." What!/ How is that possible? No..." " Adriana survived. She was quick to seek vengeance. As the new head of the line she called a meeting. She gave us an ultimatum. If Single Earth did not side with her, we would be against her. Things got out of hand, voices were raised. As head of the Smoke line I decided to leave the council. The smoke witches came with me to Single Earth. Silver's Blood line got involved, they offered us their assistance. Rumor even went around that Siete himself is planning to intervene." Sarah spoke after a very awkward silence, " I don't understand. How could things have changed so drastically? That still doesn't explain the powerful protection around this place, or how you knew I would be here." Caryn turned towards the door, her eyes quickly scanning all directions. Again, this paranoid attitude seeming to surface at odd times. " Sarah, I didn't have a choice. I took help from whomever offered it. I accepted Silver's offer on the terms that he would curb the appetite of his line. Silver himself now does not feed on humans." Her eyes seemed to drop as she said this. There was something she wasn't telling Sarah. " The Triste witches sided with Adriana. They were too powerful. We needed defenses of our own Sarah. We were desperate. We did things we aren't proud of. You know Sarah, the Smokes were once the most peaceful of all witches. Now we are warriors, using our magic to kill, not to heal. Our magic combined with the Shape-shifter magic created this barrier. One shape-shifter among us can see the future. Its a shaky alliance. Enough explaining, you've come here to ask for my help, no?" Sarah spoke, " I need your help finding Christopher."

Christopher was happier then he had been in a while. Thoughts of Sarah still haunted him, but Ariel was a blessing. She was kind and generally likable. He spent his most of his time with her. It was a regular day. One like all the others that had passed. The wind seemed to blow more ominously. The birds were oddly quiet. The sky itself clouded its own vision with oddly shaped clouds. Christopher noticed none of this. Ariel was sitting on the luxurious couch waiting for him. He sat down next to her. She turned her head, the sweetest look on her face. He gently caressed her right cheek. His eyes fell to her throat. She leaned back her head. Christopher had different plans. He tilted her head up. She looked confused. He moved his face closer to her. He gently laid a kiss on her soft lips. Then quickly jerked away. He realized that he had been thinking of Sarah. " Sorry, that was out of line." Ariel looked out the window and said, " It's okay... Who's that?" Christopher turned toward the window, and there he saw the angel that haunted his dreams. Sarah was standing right outside the house with a small letter clutched in her right hand. From where she stood she had a full view into the house through the window. Christopher had just drawn the curtains. Her features were crumpled into a face that could only be seen on a broken heart. She turned away from the window and began to walk away. Christopher quickly ran out to her and he shouted out, : Sarah wait!"

What exactly did she expect? Did she expect to see him worried and anticipating her return? _I don't know why I actually thought... I thought that he..._Her whole thought process in taters, she walked calmly away from the house. She heard Kristopher shouting her name, but she didn't consciously register that fact. And then she was gone, for a fraction of time that was not time at all she did not exist in space-time. Sarah turned her head up and realized she was somewhere she did not recognize. It was very cold and a dusty desert spread as far as the eye could see. She walked and walked and it seemed as if she hadn't gone anywhere. The desert was the same no matter which direction she walked. She decided to run at full vampire speed, surely she would reach a location sometime. She ran for over twelve hours and amazingly she did not get anywhere. "This is impossible... I should have ... somewhere... What is going on?" She took a deeper look at her surroundings and began to realize that there shouldn't be a heat haze over the desert at night, not when it was this cold. There seemed to be a strange clear mist ghosting over the entire area. She realized that the sun should have risen by now. It was still a dark, cold night. "Something magicky is definitely going on here...", she whispered into the dark.

_It had been ages since any soul dared venture here. _The ancient spirit of the Lost Desert watched the young vampire wander endlessly through her realm. "So so long since any living being ventured here...", the spirit whispered to her invisible companion.


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah woke up and immediately felt terrified. She had no idea what had just happened. She was laying down on what seemed to be a very hard concrete floor, and her arms and legs were spread out on the floor. She realized quickly that she could not move them, and then an instant later realized something was holding her there, only there were no ropes, no chains( as if any of those things could hold her), only this odd humming noise coming from the floor. She was thirsty. It really had been too long. Much too long and every second she spent on the floor it only became worse. There it was...just like the first time. Then it hit her. Something was wrong. She shouldn't be this thirsty, she did have some blood a short while ago. Everything is okay.

The hooded figure standing outside the room that held Sarah Vida was quietly whispering words into his two fingers pressed against his lips. As he spoke there was almost an audible sound and Sarah's thirst was beginning to calm. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked down a large wooden passageway. He turned left and came to a window that revealed the house he was in to be surrounded by a large forest. He looked out the window and the moonlight shining down on his face showed him to be but a very young boy. He looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. His face was round, boyish. It carried with it an innocence that would put you at ease if you had not looked into his eyes. His eyes are a very warm brown but something in them is off, as if only a ghost was staring back at you. He stared into the moon for an amount of time that to an observer would have been two hours but to him it felt like only a few seconds. He turned away from the window and the shadows once again swallowed his face. " She is...so frail; in more ways than one. To find her way to that place...very rare indeed. Very well Sarah...I shall witness where your strange fate takes you."

Sarah was staring at the ceiling. She kept looking around, trying to listen for something, anything. With her abilities it should not be a problem but for some reason nothing she tried worked. Then the humming stopped, and a door creaked open. " Sarah, you can get up now." She sped up onto her feet her senses already flared for a fight. But when she saw him standing there, his warm, white skin, his innocent face, she hesitated. His golden brown hair stood out as the most attractive feature. He just stood there, leaning against the wall his right foot supporting him. Then she saw his eyes and knew then, this was no boy, and she lunged at him.


	3. Chapter 3

There was a flash of white light and Sarah was thrown back and pinned against the wall. "What did I do to you Sarah?" " What's going on here? Wait... you...a Triste? No...something else... Who are you? And Let me down!" " Sarah, I need you to calm down or I'll have to set up that nasty barrier again. As for who I am, well let's just say I'm a friend. I am going to let you down now. Please don't make me hurt you. It's not personal, I just can't die yet. Listen how about we tell each other something about ourselves and maybe that will help you relax?" " Thanks for letting me down but every instinct in my body is telling me not to trust anything you say, and please stop treating this like some phych ward session." " Oh, every instinct... yes, I suppose you would feel it double...being who you are...or more accurately who you were..." " Excuse me?" Sorry, just mumbling to myself. Listen, this world is being split apart. This wasn't my business but now certain individuals are getting caught in the cross-fires and good-intentioned witches are lured into dark traps by sinister vampires..." " Hmm... it kind of sounds like you are referring to someone specific here." " Oh yes, I am. Someone you know quite well actually." Outside the manor the sky was a bright blue; the kind of blue you get right after a big rain storm. The air is still wet and the energy it brings hums in the sir. The only problem with that is it hadn't rained. The sun was peaking above the trees as Sarah spoke to her mystery companion. All this went unnoticed by Sarah, but her companion while appearing focused on the conversation threw worried glances towards the North. " Sarah...it isn't safe here anymore. We need to leave, right now." " What? You haven't told me anything yet! What the hell is going on here? At least tell me your name!" " My name...It's been a while since I needed that... My name is..." To be continued Next Chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Caryn Smoke walked down the narrow hallways of Single Earth. Her flowing white robes slid along the marbled floors, creating a soft swishing sound that scattered all around the quiet area. She gently slips through a set of large double doors reminiscent of padlocked school doors. She slowly lifts her head towards the night sky and stares into oblivion. As the doors close behind her a murder of Ravens burst from the trees surrounding the compound and fly into the dark carpet of the sky. Tonight there are no lights in the sky, nothing to illuminate the dark. For tonight, no stars dare let their lights fall onto this world. Caryn thinks gently to herself, " That really isn't a good sign, no moon, no stars, no lights left to guide me... Macht, what would you have me do in these conditions, when I have nothing left..." Behind her a shadow flickers ,and a pale-white hand appears behind Caryn and very delicately caresses her neck. A delightfully mischievous voice whispers into Caryn's ear, " Now, now pumpkin, stop being so morose, and paranoid. She could little afford to attack you tonight." After a very brief moment of shock, Caryn immediately smacked away the hand with a bone-crunching snap. As she landed the hit, she bent down and twisted towards the shadowy figure. At this same moment she swings her left leg in for an effective kick. All of this occurs in lightning quick speed. Her stalker falls to the pavement and laughingly says, " Well done my dear. I have indeed forgotten how dangerous your magic becomes when you turn it on yourself. It really is too bad though... I like seeing the marks but yours heal far too quickly, and no scars either..." Caryn speaks with a resigned tone, " I told you a million times to stay out of my head." She absent-mindedly rubs a red patch of skin on her neck. " And what are you talking about? Tonight's as good as any other night for her." The shadowy figure stares at Caryn, and though his face is hidden by the moon-less night, he radiated confidence and a warm smile. " Not the way I heard it. You know officially the Tristes' are against you, but you make the mistake of assuming all witches and magical beings follow some hierarchy as you and your sisters once did, and still do in some form. I have it form a reliable source that you've caught the attention of some pretty ancient powers, not to mention people are beginning to see you as some sort of freedom fighter. A large batch of Tristes and witches, among other things, have gathered and are heading here for you, to help you." "What! But Stephen hasn't seen anything about this!" The shadowy figure replies, " Because you ask so much of the poor bird-shifter his visions are now limited to things that will happen in or around Single-Earth. He doesn't see anything because they aren't going to make it here. Adianna and her ilk are already waiting in ambush for them." Caryn alarmingly runs into the building and rings the silent alarm. The Shadow runs after her. She yells, " Why didn't you say anything earlier?" He stops her and finally his face is revealed under the flashing lights. In his eyes she sees the ancients attraction to her, whether for her blood or for something more, she wished she knew. he spoke, " I didn't want you to die."

Christopher looked out at the passing trees and hill-sides. It had been a very long time indeed since he traveled about in the human way. It was no longer safe his brother told him. There are too many people waiting for the magic resonance of teleportation, in other words, too easily traceable. Nikolas appeared with Ariel and Marguerite. He had taken the girls to the food cart on the train. They didn't say anything to Christopher; he hadn't spoken since that day. In his hand Christopher lovingly clutches the letter Sarah dropped before she disappeared. His dried tears still stained the paper. He opened it up, as he did every few minutes and read:

_Dear Christopher,_

_I wanted to let you know that there wasn't a single day you didn't cross my mind. I wanted to come back to you so much but I just couldn't. I can't hurt people anymore Christopher. I don't want to hurt vampires, witches, or anyone else. I am not very good at these sort of things, but I wanted to ask if you still want me to stay with you and your brother. I have something really important to tell you I am just so, never mind. I'll tell you in person. I know it seems weird giving you a letter and standing right in front of you as you read it but I thought it might be better to tell you things this way in case I started rambling or backed out. I want you to know._

_your Sarah,_

_Sarah Tigress Vida_


	5. Chapter 5

"My name is Eserven, Sarah Vida. I will reveal no more than that for now. Please, grab my arm. Your method of moving is far too traceable." At that moment Sarah Vida got a cold chill in her spine. The time around her seemed to still as she ran through her thoughts. This moment would change everything, she could feel it. Christopher, the witches, and forces far beyond her understanding... all of it was on the other side of this 'door' she was walking threw. She could just stay here she thought. What if she threw away everything and just forgot them all? She could run far away somewhere no one knew her and she could just sit there. At this very moment she made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Something was different in those eyes. They seemed familar. Something inside him had changed in these past few minutes. The eyes no longer pushed her away. They beckoned her to an adventure. They called her into his arms. _What a second... is HE IN MY HEAD?_ "Sarah I'm sorry but you're taking too long. I can no longer hold this place's defensive shield. Now please Sarah, come with me. There are people waiting for us, for you. We need to go and find someone who can help us. She'll know what we need to do and how to save those closest to you before its too late." He had this smirk in his face. He knew she knew she could do nothing about it. She made her decision then. Sarah Vida, depsite her reservations, grabbed Eserven's arm. A massive circle of energy appeared around Sarah and Eserven. It seemed like a bunch of electric shocks in the air, almost like tiny lightning strikes to Sarah but to Eserven it was a massive assortment of symbols, with which he was choosing their destination. As the light became more dense, Sarah and Eserven heard a massive breaking sound echo all around them. A large whooshing sound rushed right by them. " That'll be that bitch breaking through the barrier..." Sarah looked around in a panic, " What!..." The remainder of her scream was drowned away as Sarah Vida and Eserven dissappeared into the void.


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah opened her eyes and before her was the very dreary town of Ramsa, only it didn't quite look right. Her memories of the place were not adding up to what she saw before her now. They were no people here, not anymore. She couldn't feel a single aura of life anywhere, no bugs, no animals, nothing. Eserven walked very quietly a few steps ahead of her. He was scanning the area and when his face hit her she saw a shattered look on his face. He spoke with a very soft voice, " This land is dead Sarah. Come, we wont find her here...not anymore. Grab my arm, quickly. I think that woman is behind us. She'll be trying to track us." Eserven quietly thought to himself, "Tracking _you_ Sarah." Sarah was still held in her memories. She felt that something here was not quite right. Something was telling her that this was the place. This is where she would find some answers, though she couldn't quite explain how she knew that. She told Eserven, " No... let's look around. I got a weird feeling." Eserven's eyes shot up at Sarah. He narrowed his eyes and began searching the area in earnest. He spoke to himself, " Already? She is progressing much quicker then expected. Sarah...please stop, or else I'll have to... Gods forbid she figures it out. I have to concentrate harder, bind her powers more firmly." At that moment Sarah felt a sharp shock in her arms that felt to her like static electricity. She brushed it off and continued walking. It didn't occur to her that vampires don't feel static electricity. It's too weak for them to feel. Sarah looked back and saw Eserven on his knees panting. She ran back over to him and said, " What is it? What's wrong?" He shot back up and put on his regular face, but it wasn't fooling Sarah. He said, " Nothing's wrong...just go where you think you need to go." Eserven had a very exhausted look on his face as soon as Sarah turned her back to him. Sarah quietly said, " Hmm... I don't feel anything anymore...I just don't know...let's move on to where you said we should go check. By the way, who or what are we looking for exactly?" At that question Eserven genuinely cocked his most mischievous smile and said, "I think you already know." She thought about that for a second and said, " Why would you think I know? I just want to find..." She stopped herself there. For a second she was about to say..._his_ name. In all the chaos she had almost forgotten. She had almost forgotten what he did; though in actuality she had no right to be angry with him, but still...she was. Eserven, with a cocky innocence in his voice, says, "Is there someone you want to find right now? I can take you almost anywhere, find most people...if they aren't hiding that is..." He asked the question but Sarah got a feeling he already knew the name that almost escaped her lips just seconds before. She didn't want to say it, she didn't want to think it, but his face...she could not get the image out of her mind; The image of him and that girl. Eserevn threw her a look of understanding and decided to change the subject for her benefit. He didn't want to push her in that direction, not just yet anyway. He said, " We are looking for a very very, and I mean very, old witch. She used to live her before...well, she had been living here for quite sometime you see. She never trusted the vampires and she posted herself her wary of Siete and his kind. She wanted to keep on eye on them, and of course being who she was they couldn't even sense she was here all along, watching them. Not even Siete knew her whereabouts. By the way Siete is..." Sarah cut him off quickly and said, " I know who he is. The demon that created...my kind, vampires." She said the words with such deep sadness that the already depressing Ramsa became that much more depressing. Well if she was here to keep them out of trouble then how did this whole thing with the witches and war start?" Eserven's eyes became downcast and his whole demeanor seemed to darken along with the fading November sunlight. He spoke with a dark gloom in his tired voice, " That's what I wanted to ask her. She should have been the first to get involved if something on this scale was about to erupt. That's what worries me. Her and the others...they have been conspicuously absent during these events. Siete, her and the others...the Originals...hmmm This is exactly the kind of thing they're supposed to stop and yet they..." Sarah looked really confused. She didn't know much about the other immortals but her immortal mother, is, or was, Macht. Now, technically, Siete was her immortal Father. She knew very little of Macht, but Siete's powers were legendary. Were there others like him, like Macht? She asked Eserven, " Are they still alive then? Macht too? Where are they?" Eserven said quite darkly, " Where indeed..." He seemed lost in his thoughts then. Sarah looked around her and for the first time realized the night had fallen on them. She whispered to Eserven, " I think we should get out of her now. I get the feeling that just because nothing alive is here, that doesn't mean nothing lives her at all, and I would rather not stay around to find out." He said with a laugh in his voice, " You know... if something isn't alive then you can't really say lives..." A large whooshing noise cut him off and Sarah was thrown backwards into the concrete ruble of a collapsed building. Eserven quickly drew a sword from, seemingly, nowhere and slashed at what would appear to mortal eyes to be nothing but air. A large squeal erupted out of nowhere and Eserven quickly moved into the woods and told Sarah in her mind, " Don't get up. Stay there while I take care of the Typhons." Sarah tried to get up but found she could not move. She heard a humming noise coming from the floor. She had the sinking feeling Eserven was keeping her there. She could hear his sword slashing and squeals in the distance. She didn't like laying there but what could she do? Then she remembered something she had once read in the old Vida archives. The book explained magic and magic seals. She had looked through it because her mother had recently bound her powers and she wanted to know how it was possible someone could just decide to take away her gifts. These were her powers so how could someone else decide what to do with them. That was how she used to think. She remembered that seals and bindings are extremely difficult, and risky magics to attempt because the magic behind them is flawed. Sarah had the ultimate power, all living things had it: free will. This power hindered all seals and bindings. If one had a strong enough will, one could destroy any barrier, any seal. She focused what power she could feel inside her, and then the humming came to an abrupt stop and a large blast of energy propelled her onto her feet. She ran towards the battle. Eserven was slashing at thin air but she could hear the sounds of the metal scraping on something. Sarah was confused. She wanted to help but... she didn't even know where to strike. As she stood there powerless to help, watching Eserven become slowly overwhelmed on all sides, a voice, barely a whisper came into her mind. It was definitely a woman's voice but anything beyond that she could not discern. It said, "Focus Sarah and you'll see. They do not exist, so to see them you must believe in that which cannot be believed in. Your friend, he understands that the only way to see is to _look_!" Then the presence she felt vanished and Sarah saw before her abominations for which she had no name. These dark animal-like figures shimmered in and out of her sight and they had what seemed to be covered in a dark fur-like substance. They walked on all fours and there were six of them slashing at Eserven. She immediately darted forward to help. She lunged at the beasts that were at his back. What happened next Sarah could not explain. They were moving so incredibly fast that she wasn't even sure she was moving herself anymore. She had never pushed her vampric agility to the limit like this before. Finally, with a blast of light form Eserven's hand their deadly game broke apart and his sword slashed four of them into nothingness. Sarah used the distraction to push one down to the floor and she tore it to pieces. When she looked up Eserven's sword was just leaving the black heart of the last monster. She looked at him for a second longer then necessary and looked away. She said, " How did you fight them on your own like that? I could barely handle the three at your back!" He looked up at the sky and slowly turned back to look at her. "I have been fighting for a long time Sarah. The appearance of these beasts can only mean one thing. Someone has committed the unthinkable. Sarah, I... I'm sorry, truly." "Sorry for what?" He looked away and gestured her to come closer. He thrust his hand into the air and said, " Come, I'll take you to someone who can explain." They disappeared once more into the dark.

Caryn Smoke stared into the eyes of the vampire she was sure would one day be her death. The most deadly of all, aside from Siete, Silver, had just basically confessed he had feelings for her. At least, she wanted to believe that, because the truth was she felt like that. He was a deadly creature that was playing by her rules only for as long as he was amused. She wanted so much to believe. A tiny voice inside her told her that he only wanted one thing, her blood; much richer then a humans and certainly more satisfying. The alarms in the building were blaring, the lights flashing on and off, people rushing by and gathering, readying for a fight, and Silver tilted her face up, and for a split second she thought he was going for her throat like always, but he leaned in for a kiss. She let herself go into him. He released her and she said, " umm.. okay." He smiled at her, "Is that all you can say?" " umm... ya?" At that moment a witch rushed into their moment and said, " M'lady! The force is ready. The scouts have been sent ahead to the location you specified in the mind communication. Oh... I'm not interrupting anything am I?" "She thinks he was sucking my blood...", Caryn thought to herself. Silver grabbed Caryn embarrassingly close to himself and said, "Right, tell my people to head out as well Flora." Flora looked at their embrace and was quite disgusted by it. "Right...I'll go do that." She ran off into the chaos of the mobilization. Caryn smacked Silver right on his left cheek. " What the hell? Now everyone's going to be saying things, and we really don't need this kind of thing considering..." He looked all the more amused by her reaction. "You don't believe me do you?" She looked him straight in the eye, which is always a mistake with his kind, and though she wished with everything that she could answer otherwise, said, "No, I don't."

"Where are we Nikolas?" Christopher had just spoken for the first time in months. His brother had been leading him around the States and Christopher was so dazed and lost in his memories he had not noticed where they were going. "If you'd been paying any attention you would have noticed I have been trying to help you. I was just looking for some people that might be able to find your witch, or whatever she is these days. She sure didn't smell like a vampire anyway." Marguerite and Ariel were a few meters away looking at some buildings and holding a giant map. Marguerite was pointing somewhere north and Nikolas looked at her 'that' way. Christopher knew he was silently communicating with her. He only ever did that with her. The others, the other 'servants' he never treated with such respect. He said, "Excellent. We found it. I'll tell you, it was pretty hard finding a Single Earth building that isn't garrisoned up the ass with troops. This one still operates in the old ways. I heard our old friend is here. He'll be able to help us find your...friend." Christopher said, "We are we looking for her? After what happened...she'd never forgive me. She'd never..." Christopher squeezed the letter in his hands. He didn't want to see her face. That face that was imprinted in his memories. The face she left him with when she had come back. They walked into the crowded streets of Los Angeles from the alley where they had been talking. The moon was abnormally bright. At this time of night the city was usually quiet, but not this night. Unlike other cites such as New York, Los Angeles knew it had to get its beauty sleep. The streets on this night were filled with people. Something big was going on but Christopher did not pay attention to what happened in the human world anymore. The usual night walkers were present too. Christopher could tell they were here. They were among the crowd but their discomfort was plain. The nights belonged to them, and they resented the regular people invading their time. The old beggar lady with a cart who actually sold cigarettes to minors, the kids with back-packs filled with spray cans, the guys with coats who were obviously up to no good but liked to pretend otherwise, and the seemingly innocent boys who dealt marijuana out of their underwear, all were mixed into the crowd. Other vampires were there too. He could feel them. They were weak, and had only a tiny faint of human blood on their auras. These were the Single Earth vampires. They seemed to sense Nikolas because then they took off like bullets. Nikolas shouted, "Now why in the world...c'mon, lets go. We must reach the building before they get all riled up." Christopher responded, "Well you are you...it only stands to reason..." They ran down a street and Christopher saw a sign that said 'Angel's' and the rest of the sign was worn off. Some sort of machine that took passengers up used to be there. Christopher couldn't care less about abandoned machinery, but something had drawn his attention in that direction. For just a split second he had felt an enormously strong aura there, and out of the corner of his eye he had seen two little kids standing there. But now there was nothing. Nikolas didn't seem to have noticed anything. He continued down the street and they come into a district with many abandoned buildings. Again the presence shattered Christopher's concentration. Two children were holding hands. They couldn't be more then eight or nine years old. They looked very much alike. The girl and the boy both raised their free hands and put their finger to their lips and said, "Shhhh..." Then they walked away. He said, " Nikolas, did you see that?" Nikolas answered, " What are you talking about. There's no one there." He didn't seem to have noticed. Nikolas was approaching a building that to mortals would seem like any of the other ruined buildings in the area. For the first time Christopher noticed the state of things. "LA certainly has seen better times..." Nikolas turned and looked around. He absentmindedly said, "Haven't you been paying attention? Didn't you wonder why we didn't pass through New York? Or why we completely avoided DC? I don't think nuclear radiation affects us but I wasn't sure so... better to stay clear." Right then a group of three witches and two vampires came out of the building. They looked with concern towards the area where the humans were causing a commotion and then turned towards Nikolas. "What do you want?"

A desert wind whipped through the air. Two voices spoke in the dark of the desert night. "My lady... the Watcher leads her to the Seer as we speak. Soon the trail will bring her to the cage. We have very little time before the catalyst learns the truth. If you wish to act, now would be the time. Otherwise it will be too late to save them." The dark shadows seemed to shift with those words. The lady spoke, "Oh my dear... we do not know she will choose that path." A cold chill seemed to fill the air. The servant spoke, "Have you told... The Silent One?" The lady looked around and said, "There is no need, he is here now. He heard everything. Can you not feel him?" An aura of pure power, control, and immense cold seemed to make its presence known. It seemed quite at odds with the aura the Lady seemed to give off. From her the feeling of pure wild, freedom, and joy all seemed to rise. The servant said, "He gives me the creeps...all these years and still...What shall we do my lords?" A cold harsh voice said, "Leave them to their fates. Where were they when we needed them? When our power flooded out and brought ruin? When the Usurper locked us in the cage and led our people astray? Where were they when we begged them for help and they turned us away to feed their own powers and ambition? Leave them..." "You know very well we can't do that. They believe us to be dead. We stand in the perfect position to help!" "And what happened the last time we...'helped'? The lady took a long silence on this question. "It matters not my friend. That was a mistake. We allowed them to run astray. Now we must be more cautious. If the Watcher has made his move I believe we should as well. After all...he'd never forgive us if we didn't." "Who cares what the little bastard thinks..." "We promised him. After he freed us remember?" "How could I forget..." The servant had been fidgeting nervously all this time. He spoke very softly, "My lords, now is the time then. I will open the way." He raised his hand and the air shimmered. Nothing seemed to have happened. But suddenly a man came into existence next to the Lady. The man was thin and very tall, at least 6ft and 5 inches. He had the appearance of a very handsome man, but to call him a man would be a mistake. He had not been a man since time immemorial. He wore black jeans with red twists that wrapped all around his legs on them. His shirt was of a very old design. It was white and was reminiscent of old Greek tunics yet different. The Lady was very much the same in the fact that she too had once been a woman but now she no longer remembered her mortal life. She wore shimmering white robes that went down all the way to her feet. It was a sleeveless masterpiece. Together they walked forward and disappeared with the servant.


	7. Chapter 7

**Christopher**

Christopher waited in a lounge while Nikolas spoke very admantaly to some witches in the next room. They were arguing about something yet nothing could hold his interest. It was the building. Something about it made his mind muddled. He could barely focus. "Some sort of magic no doubt..", he whispered to himself. Then a gentle breeze blew from nowhere. He turned and coming through the doors was a young boy garbed in ragged clothing and...he could barely believe it. Sarah Vida walked through the doors. She was battered and bloody. He immedietly rushed to her side and caught her as she collapsed. The young boy kept walking forward and went into the next room. After such a long time he had her in his hands. "_There is no time for this now,"_he thought to himself,"_ ...she is hurt..."_. Some witches came forward and showed Christopher to a room. He set her down and let the witches do their healing. At first they approached the job calmy, but as the minutes drew on he could sense the panic. Something was terribly wrong with her, and they couldn't figfure it out. He just sat stood there. No words, nothing crossed his mind. He could not understand how a vampire, especially Sarah could have been hurt this badly. It didn't even occur to him why these witches would so easily come to the aid of vampires. If he had been paying any attention at all he would have noticed two young children staring at Sarah behind him. He might have noticed the different aura these 'witches' were giving off. He might have notcied these were no regular descendents of Matcht. That they might have a different agenda all together did not occur to him. He noticed nothing but Sarah, even as Nikolas lost his life in the next room.

** Everyone who cares, I am sorry about taking so incredibly long I will be keeping up with this again. Please keep reading if you enjoy. At first it was school, and then I went through some stuff that I wouldn't care to go into right now. Thank you for your readership.**


	8. Chapter 8

_ Back in Ramsa..._

"Is this where they are going to be?", said the Servant. The Lady stood motionless at the Servants side. The Man spoke, " They left already... they were here some time ago... looks like your timing was off." The Lady turned and away from him and said, "It has been too long since I have had to think about 'time' at all... on that note don't you think we look a little conspicuous?" The servant was twitching nervously and said in a broken voice, " One of your old friends was here m'lords."Really? Which one?", they both said together. "The Witch. And by the looks of it someone was with her, but whoever it was was cloaking his identity so I can't be sure." " Where did they go?" "Torwards California it seems."

_Back in the Single Earth California HQ_...

The witches seemed to have lost their minds. Niklos was smashed to the walls before he even noticed anything. He very nearly almost died. If he hadn't been expecting an attack every second he might not have been able to dodge the strikes that were coming at him from every direction. First one of the witches sent an enormous amount of power at him. He deflected it into another witch that was thrusting her hand staright for his heart. He felt her life slip away. Then he grabbed the wrist of the other witch and slammed her into yet another witch that was moving her legs in a sweeping kick. He pushed some of his power and stopped their hearts. As he did however he noticed something. There was another tendril of power in there that did not belong to the witches. It was retracting everytime he killed one as if attempting to evade his detection. Two more witches appeared and this time he made a concentarted effort at throwing off this 'other power' from the witches. Their eyes seemed to focus and then they collapsed, but still alive. Something was controlling them. He couldn't believe Christopher did not notice anything. Then he suddenly realized he could not sense anything out of the room as if something was confining his aura sensing abilities. The whole building seemed to be cloaked in this power. He had to go and find Christopher old-school.

Sara Vida was walking down a dusty road in the middle of nowhere. "Actually its Idaho." said Eserven. "What? Oh... don't go in my head ok?" " I was merely demonstrating that you need to keep your guard up at all times. We got lucky back there." " I can barely even remember what happened..." "Whats important now is that we head west. If we don't hurry..." "Well why don't we teleport again?" " We are being followed. I want to walk a few arpents... I mean meters. I don't think it will be so easy for them that way." Sarah noticed his voice seemed out of place his mind was definetly else-where at the moment. "Wait... arpent?", Sarah said with a laugh. He responded, "I was thinking about something else. I don't need your permission to reminisce do I?" "You've been a lot more...sarcastic lately." Eserven looked away form her for a very long time before he said anything. "Many things I did not want have come to pass. Things I have prevented for a very long time have happened. Is it not...reasonable to be angry?" "Ya I guess it is..." " I think we have gone far enough. Lets teleport. Oh and be ready to fight."


	9. Chapter 9

Sarah had seen many gruesome events in her life. She had killed many vampires and seen the evidence of their gruesome tastes. But the room she stood in now was beyond her ability to process. Blood was all over the floors. Mangled body parts intermingled with large splotches of it. Sarah was so intensely horrified it took her two seconds before she realized Eserven was not with her. She sent out her power to find him when she realized wherever she was the building was insulated against such powers. She could not expand her power outside either. Then she sensed something familiar in that blocking power. She recognized it as a witch's power. Someone was going through a lot of trouble to keep this building hidden. She began to step past the gore when she heard two voices shouting and the unmistakable sound of fighting. She recognized the voices immediately. She vaulted through the blood room and found herself in a large hallway. The interior seemed to be organized like an office building. She saw overturned desks and paper scattered all over the ground. The noise seemed to be coming from downstairs. She found a stairwell and leaped down two flights. She burst through into a new hallway and found the man she had been searching for. She had seen the twins fight only once before, to her undoing, and now with vampiric senses, and despite the horrible situation, she found it a beautiful sight. The twirled around one another fighting as if they were one being. They did not seem to notice her right away. Kristopher kicked off the last of this crazed assailants and finally he seemed to notice her. And for what seemed like longer than a few seconds they took each other in. She noticed his hair was longer. He seemed to be waiting for her to react so she crossed over to them. Before anyone said anything she hugged him. After so long she just wanted him to hold her again. They did not need to speak. His mind was completely open to her. Sarah was mentally hitting herself so hard. If she had been around him for a few more seconds she would have seen the truth in his mind. He missed her just as much as she missed him. Then Nikolas interrupted the moment with some good advice, "Well… now that's taken care of can we please leave before we get killed?" Sarah was so dazed by her encounter with Kristopher it took a few seconds for her response, "Wait… a friend of mine was with me. We teleported here together but he's gone. I can't just leave him." The ground beneath them began to vibrate slowly and Sarah recognized the presence of magic. The barrier they all felt on the building was suddenly gone. The bodies of their witch assailants also gone. The blood and evidence of their apparent madness still lingered in the halls of the building. With the barrier gone Sarah realized Eserven was not in the building. Kristopher pulled Sarah gently toward him and asked, "Now what?"

A large concert hall spread out before a pair of vampires. A golden haired, and beautiful women ran ahead of her partner and danced onto the main stage. She twirled on it and sat cross-legged next to a large Grand Piano. The man who was with her stared at her skeptically. "Is this really the place Kendra?" She laughed and said, "I believe the arrangement was I get to pick the location of our next meeting." At that moment another vampire walked into the hall from the far end. "Still as annoying as ever I see…" Kendra danced toward the Vampire, "Oh Silver you flatterer." He lowered his face to Kendra and whispered, "Any news of Siete?" She shook her head. She asked him, "And Jessica and Aubrey?" Silver also shook his head, "I can't seem to make a connection with either of them." Then three more vampires walked into the room. They all congregated on the stage. Silver spoke, "It goes badly. However the smoke witch continues to assure me she will hold the haven. The Tristes managed to make it to her despite Adiana's best efforts. And we have had no luck finding him either." Kendra danced around the piano before saying, "That was unusually concise for you Silver. But I do have some good news…"


	10. Chapter 10

(If it's been a while read chapter:*) Caryn once carried the name Smoke. Once upon a time she proudly walked a path untold numbers before her walked. She abhored violence. The thought that scared her most this morning was the past tense in that previous thought. She had the same nightmare again. It was such a simple nightmare but it held more terror in its endless torment than any bloodbath she might take part in today. It is her mother standing there just looking at her:she smiles. But Caryn feels in those kind, tired eyes all the shame, disappointment, and heart break her mother must feel at what Caryn has become. Caryn sat up in bed and turned to the her clock and sighed, "I'm going to give him a stern talking to..." Caryn had a wooden cased rectangular clock next to her bedside. It reminded her of a different sort of time in her life. But Silver had taken to playing practical jokes on her and one of his recurring favorites was switching her clock with a silver-metalic digital clock. She couldn't even trust the time on it. No matter what spells she put around her room he always managed to get in eventually. She leaped out of bed, decided it didn't matter what time it was, and continued on to the bath. She went out into the hall to find out from passerby shifters that the time on the clock was indeed correct. Caryn walked to her office and as she walked through these once peaceful halls she recounted a time so far removed from now they could hardly exist in the same world. Her thoughts strayed to a time she was loath to remember. She felt a slight tremor in the ground(now commonplace) and remembered the day this all started; the day the world fell apart all around her and the day she ceased to carry the name Smoke.

_Caryn had been hearing some troubling things. Vampires were out of control and hunting in the open. The humans were becoming increasingly chaotic. Wars and politcics never much captured Caryn's interest. What concerned her was the suffering of those involved and not their reasons. A Smoke witch takes an oath. She helps any that come to her walked into the Single-Earth common room and saw everyones interest glued to the T.V. A CNN report was on. She continued to walk until she noticed what it was about. Things were not only chaotic in her world it seemed. The humans couldn't stop hurting each other either. More wars, and more suffering but things seemed set to explode on a colosal scale this time. They reported the increase in murders all around the world and she noticed the tell-tale signs of vampiric had heard from her mother that most hunters had gone underground. She pondered their apparent lack of power. She detested their methods but knew the other witches like her just sought to protect life. Over the centuries their significance seemed to fade. Vampires only grew more powerful while the magic of Machts bloodline only seemed to dim in the ever-growing shadow of the Lunar vampires. This convinced her more than ever that violence was not the answer. Machts bloodline must seek a new way to exist in this world. She turned from the room and went to her clinic office. Some people were already there waiting for her. She was busy healing someones arm when she heard the screaming. She threw out her aura and she felt death all around her. She ran out into the hall to see a group of what must have been witches and some vampires slaughtering everyone within reach. She froze in place for an eternity of a second. She had seen some damage as a healer in her day but the carnage in front of her was on a level that changed her forever. She saw a child run out from a doorway. Evan was a child of one of the unaffiliated witches that lived here. He was only 7 yrs old. He ran out screaming and a witch caught him from behind and burned him alive. Caryn stood there as he screamed. Should she have stood in between them as her training demanded? But that would not have saved his life. It would only have delayed it. She screamed such a piercing wail that to this day survivors can recall its bonechilling effect.. Something inside her broke. She felt her magic shift; something she had never turned to that witch and looked him in the eye. The blackness in his eyes caused her to feel an overwhelming anger. She ran torwards him and she realized just how easy it was for magic that heals to kill. She grasped his hand and made his heart explode. _

Caryn walked into her office and closed the door. The stack of reports waiting for here was, as always daunting. Looking back on that day she realized how lucky she had been. She had no training at the time. She ran thorugh that battle-field killing more than the twenty years since. Only later did she learn how to refine her magic; how to turn it into herself to give her strength and speed rivaling many of her enemies. In those violent years she learned that Matchs blood still ran strong in her line. She never heard from any of her line since. The word was they all died that day refusing to use violence even to defend themselves. Single-Earth was not the only place attacked. Someone had tried their hardest to kill every child of Macht that day. She picked up the first paper on her desk and began reading. A few minutes later Nissa walked into the office with a terrible look in her eyes. "Someones here to see you." Caryn turned her chair to see someone she had never thought to see again in this life.


End file.
